The Merion Concert Band Announces Poetry Competition Winners

Sophia Guglielmo, winner of the Merion Concert Band’s 2024 Poetry Competition, poses with (from left to right) associate conductor Kevin Sparks, band president Ken Eidinger, and conductor Bret Mascaro at Welsh Valley Middle School following the November 17th concert.

The Merion Concert Band congratulates Sophia Guglielmo, a junior at Lower Merion High School, whose poem “Trusty Winged Friend” was selected as the 2024 Poetry Competition winner. The Honorable Mention was awarded to Fiona Yates, a sophomore at Lower Merion High School for her poem “4 Memories”. The winning poems can be found here.

Ms. Guglielmo is a member of the varsity volleyball team and the Dolphin Literary Magazine. She also serves as a Writing Fellow. Her Language Arts teacher is Aimee Ferguson. Diane Shannon is the faculty advisor to the Dolphin Literary Magazine. Ms. Yates spends her free time writing, drawing and listening to music. Her Language Arts teacher is Trish Hodos.

Ms. Guglielmo shared that creative writing has always been a passion of hers, and she has had the opportunity to explore it further in her high school classes. She likes that writing gives her an outlet to express herself and brings her a sense of calm. She said, “I’m excited to continue my poetry journey as it enables me to write freely and connect with others.”

The Merion Concert Band invited students in 7th through 12th grade living or studying in Lower Merion Township to submit a poem inspired by “Elements”, a composition by Brian Balmages. The piece is a petite symphony in four movements — each movement represents an element: Air, Water, Earth, and Fire. The band performed the piece at their November 17 concert, followed by a reading of the winning poem and awarding of the prizes.

Congratulations Sophia and Fiona!